Stakeholders tell Assembly committee licensing delays, vacancies and outdated tech are hurting New Jersey’s workforce

Chairman Stanley opened a hearing of the Assembly Regulated Professions Committee saying he had “heard from countless professionals” about problems with the professional licensing system, and stakeholders across health care, construction trades and regulated professions told the panel on Tuesday that slow processing, board vacancies and outdated technology are worsening workforce shortages and harming New Jersey residents.

The testimony painted a consistent picture: applicants sometimes wait months for initial licensure or reciprocity; boards that must vote on approvals are hampered by unfilled seats; and licensing fees that could fund improved operations have in the past been diverted away from the Division of Consumer Affairs (DCA).

“The delays are particularly concerning in areas where we are experiencing critical workforce shortages,” said Althea Ford, vice president of government affairs for the New Jersey Business and Industry Association. “When we have those delays it really signals to the licensed community that we’re not being valued.”

Why this matters: witnesses said slow licensure reduces the available workforce for essential services — from nurses and nursing-home administrators to dentists and psychologists — and creates measurable economic and public-health impacts. Theresa Edelstein, senior vice president at the New Jersey Hospital Association, testified that the association’s research shows a substantial shortage of health-care staff and that delays force facilities to rely on overtime and expensive temporary staffing.

Most witnesses described similar problems and offered overlapping…